Ok kids... another esl teacher named Jon in Japan (http://Jon.Berman.net) has also been accumulating a list of schools that have shafted their teachers. I think, between the two of us we have a lot covered. However, for every bad school there are five good ones so don't let this discourage you. But of course, buyer beware. Another factor which must be taken in account is that these schools are franchised. So if a school like F.L.S (for example) has a miserable reputation this does not mean every FLS is bad - just the one in that particular area, with that particular boss. - Research your particular school!!! There is absolutely no claim to the accuracy of this document. No longer will any e-mail address be posted, unless specifically requested to do so.
Ding Ding Dang - Taegu: March 12, 2002 I did like the school and some of the Korean staff are wonderful folks - the children are angels and wonderful. The boss and his wife who runs the school are disrepectful and unconsiderate of the English teachers. They tend to manipulate them because once the English teachers are here (at school's expense) they think the teachers will just do as they are told. Unfortunately they did not anticipate for me to complain, and challenge their "power" to change the schedules as they so pleased. I would go out of my way for them on many occassions, as I would clean the classrooms, the office, take out the trash and wipe down the glass doors. The place tends to get very dirty. They serve lunch at the shool to the children, and you can imagine how the children will spill food all over the place. There are three split shifts for the teachers and four for the students. I would end up cleaning the desks of food stains so the next class could have a clean place to sit at. The Korean teachers don't clean. However, there is one Korean person who is responsible for the cleaning but it seems she is always doing something else and the garbage just piles up. The apartment which the school provides is not really safe, as the bathroom light switch,(wires are expose), does not work properly. I have repeatedly asked that it be fixed, to no avail. The apartment is so old there are bugs of all kinds everywhere. I have also aksed the place be sprayed, nothing. I have been out of hot water for two weeks, because the director who gets the heating oil for the apartment seems to have no time. I have been heating the water on the stove and using a big 5 gallon can to bathe. I would gladly go and get my own oil, but where and how? I really believe that the upper staff at this school just don't care. They don't realize that experienced teachers have a lot of valuable input that could benefit them. They don't care. Daegu is a beautiful city to come and work, but I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND MY SCHOOL AS A PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. Ding Ding Dang is the name of the school. Doug, I have this very strong feeling he will not pay my last month. Yes, there is another English teacher here just 2 weeks from Canada - Tronato area. He arrived here on the 28th of Feb.. He is also not happy with the schedule changes. Our work hours have been changed 5 times in three weeks. Thanks for the info you pasted I'll look into it later as I got to get back to work. Kyungnam University, Masan - Thu, 21 Feb 2002 I had an interview for an English teaching position at Kyungnam University, Masan on November 11th, 2001. On December 5th, 2001, I received the following email from the interviewer: "This email is to notify you of an official offer of a teaching position here at Kyungnam University. I would appreciate it if you could give me an "official" response via email, and then I will submitt all of your paperwork to the hiring committee for the preperation of your contract and sponsorship." I duly accepted the offer and my email was acknowledged as having been received. Being confident as to the solidity of this message I declined two further interviews at other institutions and waited patiently for a contract to arrive, which I presumed would be nearer to my start date of March 1st, 2002. On February 18th, I telephoned the University and was told that the man who had offered me the job was no longer in charge and had returned to the U.S. I was also told, "there is no job for you here". No apology was offered and no explanation as to why I had not been informed of this. Yours sincerely Martin Kyungnam University - Masan Though the administration has been good about honouring contracts, the director of the foreign teaching staff, Kim Wei Saeng, is irrational and impossible to work with. He does not know how to deal with foreigners working in Korea, and is petty, vindictive and thoroughly disliked by Koreans and foreigners alike. He has often resorted to threats, following teachers activities while off duty, and subtle innuendo to intimidate foreign faculty. So far this year, two instructors hired by Dr. Kim Wei Saeng have left mid-semester fed up with his behavior. Again we, three former instructors at Kyungnam University, strongly recommend that as long as Kim Wei Saeng is the the language director at Kyungnam University, that you find another university at which to work. Sejong Hogwon - Yang Sun: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 Dear Sir I am a New Zealander and I have had quite a bad experience teaching English in Korea.And in particular I would like to list Sejong Hogwon in Yang Sun City 30 minets from Busan.At the start of {2001} was lied to right from the beginning back in NZ.I was told that I would get my own single private apartment.Just before I went there,I was asked if I would like to live at the directors apartment for two weeks as a cultural experience. Well the cultural experience turned into three months during this time,I had to live with his whole family,his mother his wife and his children.I had no freedom privacy or individuality.During this time I frequently asked him to provide the promised apartment,which was also stipulated in my contract.After all this he said that there was an apartment.It was just down the road and he told me to take a look at it, and tell him what I thought. The apartment was an absolute dump.It was a dirty little hut that had no bathroom no furniture or anything in it.The toliet was was a small shed about ten meters from the hut.It was a long drop toliet which had no flush system.It was dirty filthy and disgusting.So I told him my opinion about the hut etc.After this he told me that he couldn't afford a decent apartment and asked me if I could stay with his family for the rest of the contract. I told him that I could not do what he wanted.After that I arranged a good cheap apartment through some other English teachers that I knew in the area.He did not agree to this.His excuse to me was that it was to far from the school.But I found out that he said that he did not want to invest that much money in a teacher.So I quit that job but he would not give me a letter of release until I paid him 500,000 won. I'm pretty sure it's illegal under Korean law to charge for a letter of release. The director there has no excuses as his English is excellent. He spent five years in Australia during that time he achieved a university education.He understands the western cultural value system of privacy, feedom and individuality very well. But he couldn't care less about western people and their culture. And in my case he just wanted me to live with him and his family,so that he could manipulate control and monitor me,as well as geting free English lessons.On the outside he seems like a very nice caring and considerate man.But on the inside he is full of lies deviousness and dishonesty he couldn't care about you or your cultural values or making your stay in Korea a good experience.He only sees you as a business proposition and his aim is to save and make as much money as he can. As far as my teaching experience at the school is concerned. My time table was continually changed and I was continually shunted into different classrooms in the school.So I was unable to get into a good teaching rythum or routine.I ended up sharing the computer room with one of the Korean computer teachers.I didn't like this as this room largely consisted of glass doors and windows were everybody could peer in.And often the other children would disturb the classes which I found extreamly frustrating and annoying.So be warned and beware do not work at Sejong Hogwon,Yang San city thirty minutes from Busan.The director {owner} of the school is nothing but a liar. Last but not least I went through an agent named Sally Kim formally of Gold Valley.She said that if anything went wrong,that she would help and that she was my friend. I went to her for help during my time at the school.But she didn't help and when I quit I asked her for to help me get another job.Her excuses were that the company didn't help anyone that didn't finish their contract.And that her only responsibility was to introduce me to the school.And her last excuse was that she wouldn't help me because I had a British accent and the schools that she recruited for wanted a teacher with an American or Canadain accent. Also she only gave the school a two month guarantee on the recruiting fee.So she made sure that if their were any problems she could just take her money and run.All this amounted to the fact that she washed her hands off me.I'm not sure who she works for now or if she is still in the teacher recuirting business.As the www.goldvalley.co.kr web site doesn't seem to exist anymore.But I would like to list her as well. The reason I am telling you about my experiences of the above school and recruiting company is that recently.I was offered another job in Yang San City and I told the experience to the prospective school. She rang Sejong Hogwan and the director told more lies about me. So I am not putting up with these kind of lies any more. I'm going to put this school on as many Internet blacklists as I can. And I am going to register the school at all the English speaking embassies and consulates in Korea. Hope to hear from you soon. YBM SISA YONG O SA /ECC FRANCHISE SCHOOL: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 I want to warn teachers, interested in working in Korea, as well as the recruiters out there about this language institute. The name is commonly known as ECC Eunpyung. It is in the northwest corner of the capital,Seoul. To be clear,I worked for this institute for 4 years. I had seen many teachers both Korean and Native English come ago in that time,as well as 4 academic directors(they are responsible for the performance of the teachers they hire). I have worked with competant directors and as of late some not so competant. Over four years I gained much responsibility and what I thought was respect. I recruited teachers,trained and assured them that it was a good school. As long as I was there to help everyone. I became the senior teacher and also the assitant to the academic director. I did not break my contract or leave because of ill treatment. In my time there I watched the changes in the overall ESL industry in Korea. Such as better pay,hours etc. This ECC institute does not feel it necessary to change with the time.The owner has said and I quote "Teachers need and want my money".Not realizing that teachers don't need or want 'less' money for working more hours than other schools who pay more money for the same hours of work.Also the owner of the school does not take an active part in the business. Over four years of working there I can honestly say that she may visit the office 3 times a month. Not the way to run a school I think. The academic director I worked closely with during my last contract did not take initiative in improving the work standards of the employees. Not until after I made it aware to the management that teachers would not perform and the quality of teaching would drop if the conditions didnt change. The director also lacked the ability to communicate to both Korean and Foreign Native teachers. Due to her own inabilities and lack of experience. Again the onus falls on the owner who is not interested in proper education but the inflation of her wallet. The owner states that contract conditions cant change in the middle of a contract. They altered my contract at my request. Therefore the claim is a lie.They can and do change the conditions. They also do not adequately inform new teachers of the duties and responsibilities a teacher has to follow. Yet another flaw in the academic directors inability to do her job. Why did I stay so long if its such a bad school? I rose through the ranks there at a quick rate. Gaining extra responsibility all the time.I did the job as assistant director to better help the school and the staff to perform well. I left because I DRAW THE LINE AT HELPING STUPIDITY FLOURISH IN THE WORKPLACE. Especially when management is the source of the stupidity. Final note. Just BEWARE of this institute. I worked closely with them for a long time trying to give them a good reputation. They did not learn. DO NOT WORK THERE. Also, a teacher did quit before his contract was complete, he followed certain procedures to split amicably but they refused. So he didnt show work. They contacted and told him he was fired; he said "fine". They went to immigration told them he fled with no notice; untrue. there were witnesses to the phone conversation between the teacher and academic teacher. The academic director tries to act tough, she tried with me as well, making idle threats. A lawsuit pending would not look good on an institutes record. Not to mention the defamation of a teacher from his or her employer. And finally, myself and the teacher mentioned above quit,so did 2 korean teachers. all at the same time. all of us veteran teachers. with experience and the truth at how the institute is poorly managed. i say again DONT WORK for them thank you, Kids Herald School- Kangnam Campus: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 A word to the wise....if you are planning to make the move to Korea to teach English please beware of the following school and the following people. Kids Herald School- Kangnam Campus which is located in Ilwon-Dong. If you are taking the subway it is on the orange line and you get off at the Daecheong stop. The people running the school are Mr and Mrs. Song who are probably in my oppinion the most vile, snake like, cold and heartless people I have met in my lifetime. I came to Korea in September. The school had only been open for a few weeks when I started and at first all seemed fine. My first night there I went out with the other foreign teachers and they filled me in on the situation so far. In the first week of the school being open the Songs had fired a supervisor and a foreign teacher..I was a little shocked at this information. My first oppinion of the school was good and the Songs went out of their way for me to make sure I was happy and comfortable..but the act didn't last for long..it is just their way of sucking you in..they did it to all of the foreign teachers there. Oh I should also mention the Songs do not speak English which makes life very difficult if there are things you need to discuss. From my experience in Korea this Kids Herald School is one of the only Hagwons with Korean English teachers working there. There are 4 Korean English teachers who work there..and frankly they can't even string an English sentence together most of the time..so you can imagine the quality of English the students are getting. The Korean English teachers were doing placement tests, level tests and they couldn't even speak proper English..so many many students suffered due to their poor judegment and lack of English ability which caused them to drop out of the school. If students leave the foreign teachers get in more trouble than you can imagine...if things go wrong it is definitly your fault as a foreigner..the Koreans make no mistakes! When the foreign teachers suggested it would be best for them to take care of testing new students and placing students..we were pretty much laughed at...it is a sad fact that the Songs don't give a damn about the education that is being provided to their students and the quality of English..all they care about is the almighty Won they are getting for each head that walks off the school bus. This is true of most Korean Hagwons..but I went to Korea because I love kids and care about them and wanted them to learn as much from me as possible...but you can throw that notion out the window when you start working for the Songs. When you walk through the door in the morning for your shift they want you to act like a clown...they expect you to wander through the school looking for them if they aren't around when you come into the school..just to say goodmorning..if you don't..they get really pissy about it..you aren't allowed to leave the school on your breaks...you'd think that would be your own time right?? WRONG...they own you..they even told us..you can't even blink without their permission...next you are NOT allowed to be sick..they tell you that..even though you are allowed sick days in your contract..they won't honour them...oh you can call in sick in the morning and they will act like it is ok..but a few hours later they will be at your apartment knocking on your door to drag you to school..no matter how sick you are..they don't care...they make up bs lines like..oh the parents are calling and complaining that you aren't at school..something they say often..which is not true..I know for a fact..if they are angry with you for something they won't tell you they are..they'll say a parent called in a complaint so you don't get upset with them..99% of the time..this is absolute crap..so don't fall for it..oh yeah..split shifts..and lots of them..also forget over time at this school..they are the only school I have encountered that pay you by the minute not the hour or the class..and even if you keep accurate records of how often you work..if they owe you overtime they will find a way to not pay you....they'll tell you your math is incorrect....or something to that effect. They also claim there is no weekend work involved in your contract with them..haha again BS! and any work you do on the weekend..you don't get paid for..and if you fail to show up..they'll come knocking at your door..it's a proven fact. The Songs are also completely disorganized and it shows in the daily opporations of the school..things are falling apart at the seams at that school...and they take none of the blame..it all rests on the foreign teachers shoulders...and they love to scream and yell at you in Korean..especially Mr Song..and then they get even more angry when you don't understand....they also like to check up on you all the time..forget having your own life...they have the security gaurds in the apartment building watching you..if they find out you are having a party..they'll show up unannounced...not a pleasent experience..they ask you many many questions and want to know indepth details of your life...don't tell them..they'll twist everything to screw you when they can...they've done it..only to the foreigners I should add..the Korean teachers can do whatever they like and live their lives...in their oppinion the foreigners are below them..we even had a supervisor tell us we were low class compaired to the Koreans...next there are the cameras...they watch your every move...when you teach you are always on the tv screens in their office..volume on...and they have no problems walking into your class and yelling at you in Korean in front of your students..we had this happen to one foreign teacher..and she was very embarrassed after the scene the Songs put on.. If that isn't enough information to keep you away from the school..I'll give you some more..they had a foreign teacher who started the day before I did...he was a great teacher and the students loved him..however the Songs did not..he had problems with another hagwon before he started at Kids Herald..and he needed to get a new alien registration card and get some visa information changed..the Songs said no problem..however they didn't get off their lazy asses to take care of it...and in October the laws changed in Korea stating you can not get work visas without a University degree...this teachers had TESOL and College...anyway..two of the other foreign teachers found resumes lying around and I found a visa application form for a new foreign teacher..and we didn't need any new teachers at the time...anyway to make a long story short..they had a teacher working illegally for them for 3 months..and than canned him because they were to lazy to get the proper information that was needed for him to work there..and then after he found out he was out of there..they had the nerve to ask him to work until the new foreign teacher arrived!!! but they wanted him out of his apartment?! and they withheld his pay...well he was smart and did a run...that was the middle of November 2001...things got much much worse at the school after that...they went through another supervisor...so that is 2 supervisors and 2 foreign teachers in the first 3 months of them being open...great for business huh? It got to the point where we all were very very miserable working there...only the students kept our spirits up..it was like working in a prison camp and we were the prisoners...eventually things just got to far out of hand and the Songs were screaming at us every minute of the day...I'm not the type of person who likes to be pushed around....and I just couldn't take it anymore...not even the great friends.wonderful students and fun life I had out of school could keep me there...in mid January of 02 I was called into the Songs office...they told me that I was in trouble for a trip I took the previous weekend to see a friend...how it was any of their business I can't figure out..anyway..they were super pissed off I went and they told me I was fired....I know seems hard to believe...that someone would get fired over that..but it's the honest to goodness truth..then they turned around and told me I owed them like 5 grand!! for what I have no idea...I didn't owe them a cent..they said I could stay in my apartment for the remainder of the week so I could get their money..haha..not a chance..within 10 hrs of being let go I was on a plane out of that country to never have to see the Songs again...I spoke with the 2 foreign teachers left when I got to my final desination outside of Korea..and I was told they were banned from talking to any of my students for fear of them actually telling the kids the truth why I was gone..one girl was physically removed from the kindergarten class where she was telling my students why I had left...the two remaining teachers were also given warnings after I left telling them they could be next...it's a sad place to work with insane bosses...it gets worse with each passing day...and it isn't worth the mental damage you'll do to yourself working there...there are many good schools in Korea...stay away from Kids Herald especially this one..they all have bad reputations...this school being the absolute worst..by the time I had left..they had gone through 3 foreign teachers and 3 supervisors..that should speak for itself....please if you have any respect for yourself..stay the hell away from the Songs and this school.... Kid's Herald: Pyungchon, Anyang Korea I would caution anyone who wants to work for Kid's Herald in Pyungchon, Anyang Korea. The Korean head teacher is a racist bitch and she hates the sight of foreigners. You will get no respect and you will have no self esteem left after you finish working here. The Korean teachers constantly misunderstand what is being said and they bring their version of the info. to the boss who doesn't ask us foreigners about our version of what happened. The hate toward the foreign teachers just builds and builds. They are all racist and they hate working with foreigners. They never tell us anything in advance and threaten with lawsuits and so on. Prime Language School: Gumi Fri, 11 Jan 2002 Dear Doug: I would like to tell you about Prime Language School in Gumi, S. Korea. The owner's name is Byeoung Ho. He is an awful employer. He fires teachers at the 10th month of their 12 month contracts to avoid paying them severance pay, he often underpays, and sometimes he doesn't pay at all. He also hires illegal teachers and then doesn't pay or underpays them. His word is like the wind, always changing. This guy is the worst hogwan owner in the world. Please warn other teachers to be wary of working there. Sincerely, Mike Eastern Language Academy 26B Sangmo-Dong Kumi, Korea 730-120 I'm in my 10th month of my contract in a small mom and pop hakwan in a small town near Taegu. The place is a little more that one year old and at best is mediocre. I'm the only foreign teacher and they've had nearly a 100% turnover of Korean teachers since I've been here. The hagwan isn't doing too well, several hagwans have opened up this year including one just down the street--this one set up by the assistant mangager and 3 teachers who left and started thier own hagwan. Being a small town, the competition is pretty fierce! A lot of students have come and gone and the recrutiment rate for new students is pretty low. I came into work today and out of the blue was informed that I have one month (as per our contract)to be out of my apartment. The reason I was given is that "20 students have quit because of me" and "the other teachers don't like me." He can't tell me when or who, just that 20 have quit! A hell of alot more than 20 students have quit recently. The other teachers don't even talk to me, and I don't talk to them, I wouldn't know if they don't like me or not! I know this place isn't doing too well, but of course since I'm the only foreigner, I'm to blame! There is virtually no communication between me and anyone here. I was informed about the winter change of schedule the night before it changed, last summer I was informed about the change by phone an hour before classes started! The thing is, the hagwan isn't that great and nice shiny new hagwans have opened up nearby. This place after one year, looks like it's 5 years old with torn up furniture as well as the wallpaper hanging off the wall in shreds. I haven't enjoyed it much but I've hung in there since last March. The Chinese New Year holiday is in a month and according to our contract, he has to pay a bonus for this as well as the fact that he's basically screwing out of my last month bonus pay and the plane ticket. More than US$2000. He will probably be looking for another teacher soon, so beware of this place! Jim Wentz Kumi, Korea Jan 2002 Andong Wonderland, Ltd: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 20:20:32 -0400 Dear Doug, Through the telling of our experience, this message serves the purpose of warning people interested in teaching in Korean hogwans, or more specifically, of warning those foreign or Korean people interested in working at Andong Wonderland, Ltd.--one specific school under the national company of the greater Wonderland, one of the most significant and apparently reputable such businesses in the market. The Wonderland Language Institutes, the first of which I believe was opened in 1994, have at last count 91 different schools located throughout Korea. While it is said that the company is of good standing, several recruitment agencies have admitted that some of these are not recommendable, and even some have been black-listed, so to speak. To these the name of ANDONG WONDERLAND should be added. Our reason for stating is a harsh dissatisfaction with our employer, Mr. W*, under whom Nadia and I worked from November of 2000 to November of 2001. Our main concern regards the severence pay which he has NEVER PAID, the total amount of which was around 2,600,00 won (approx. 3100 $can). We were told that this amount would be paid before we left, but on our last night, the date was pucched to the end of November. After that, it was pushed to the end of December--a LIE which he fabricated in order to protect his own-self image. Then, the date was pushed to January 15th, which has since passed. Note that we have called and written many times, but all to no avail. This has angered us significantly. This money was crutial to our return; but not only that, it is our money, for which we had worked quite hard. This 3000-odd dollars is STOLEN MONEY PUT INTO THE BOSS'S POCKETS. Not once have we been difficult, and often we have shown great tolerence before his INCOMPETENCE both as a employer and as a decent human being. Our RETURN TICKETS themselves took much obstinate demanding and verification on our part, as always the awaited date of departure was pushed beyond the completion of our contract. After a year in a foreign country, we did not need to experience such STRESS during a period which should have been joyous. Also, Nadia, Kirsten (another teacher at the time) and myself had worked four months of intensive over-time. This, we had agreed upon when we were first warned about the prospect, was only supposed to last one month at the most--but as always LIES and FABRICATIONS were used as devices of MANIPULATION, playing with our naive trust in a man which supposedly--and should have--treated us with respect. It also comes to mind that Mr. W* was taken into court, and found GUILTY of a certain affair which involved him not paying our old head-teacher. In all, our experience does not paint a pretty picture of the man nor of the school. Thus: AVOID ANDONG WONDERLAND--it makes one think of a monkey-operation founded on deceit and falsities. Still greater, we wish to call WONDERLAND LANGUAGE SCHOOLS into this as well, for not assuming the responsibility and initiative of verify schools under its name. What good is a bureaucracy is naught favorable comes of it, and no responsible leadership assumed? To those who have read, we thank you for your interest. Francois Ouellette Nadia Robichaud Suwon Wonderland: Tue, 4 Dec 2001 I was a supervisor here and let me tell you, did it suck! For your readers, I will make a list: Unfair wages for hours worked. Including teaching, preparation time and phone english conversationm they work an average of 50-60 hours a week including Saturdays. The boss changes the schedule daily Teachers work without breaks Mysterious deductions in one's wages Having to work with the boss's wife as your superior: conflict of interest if you disagree with her Constant reprimanding of teachers Broken promises by recruiter and owner of the institute Ethics of school and the means by which it is governed False accusations made against teachers without proof Severance pay held These are the top ten issues that I am aware and was informed of by the owner. Any foreign teacher who makes the decision to go there will regret it! Paul Chung Ex-supervisor of Suwon Wonderland Mokpo Wonderland - Sun, 11 Nov 2001 They almost caused a teacher to have a nervous breakdown, such was the atmosphere. Of the teachers that have worked a year, none have come back. The school refuses to pay me the last months salary owing. Wonderland gets verbally abusive when asked to honour there commitment. Requesting help from head office goes no where, so one is left with one month worked for free. Although that is not the official story after waiting, writing and going through channels for three months. I don't want any other teacher to go through my experiences, this school belongs on the grey list. The latest postings on eslcafe write of physical beatings, the place has gotten worse from when I worked there. Help prevent other teachers from seeing the increasing nightmare, thanks. Maybe other former teachers have written you about Mokpo, they had the same nightmare. The schools website paints a pretty picture, but they used to offer 1.7 to start, its now 1.6, all to save money. If you have any questions let me know, thanks. Please do not use my name, am unreasonable hopeful about getting that bit of salary. Washington Language School I worked in Korea for Washington Language school. I had many problems at the school, but this is standard for working in Korea. Some are as follows: 1. Given no preparation time. Being told to teach this page as you walk to the class. I did ask for at least 5 minutes so I could prepare, but did not get it. 2. Having the timetable changed when you arrive, so you are not teaching then, but have to wait perhaps an hour. 3. Not given much help with finding the things for living in a foreign country. When the oil ran out, we were left pretty much to ourselves to find out how and where to buy more. 4. The original contract was for 8 months because of my return air ticket. This was then changed by my employers. This was impossible for me, so I was then told that I did not finish my contract. Consequently, my pay was less and the severence pay was much less. 5. Even being asked to sign forms in Korean without them translating or explaining what it is. This I had great difficulty with and ended up only initialising it and not signing it. They did not seem to know the difference. These are difficulties that we all might get in Korea, because of language and culture problems. However, I did not expect the following from Washington Language School. After I left, I applied for a job in China, also teaching English. The people for the Chinese job requested some paper showing that I worked in Korea, like a reference. I asked for something from Washington Language School. This took a long time, but they agreed, provided I write it. So I did. Nothing fancy, just saying I worked there, the hours and the books used. (They were American books used in many schools in Korea.) I sent that to them and waited again. No response. Using friends in Korea, I eventually found out that they refused to sign it unless I went personnally to Korea and asked for it. Then they would consider it. This was after they had already agreed to sign it. Hence I lost the job in China. It was such a little thing for the director of Washington Language school to do. But she lied to me and would not do it. Why? I don't really know. My friends think it might have been because the person after me caused problems. Sajik Little Campus: Dongnae, Pusan Beware of... Sajik Little Campus Sajik 3-dong, Dongnae-gu 132-9 Pusan, S. Korea The managerial skills of the current manager at Sajik Little Campus in Dongnae, Pusan, are non-existant. Our director had no idea what an E2 visa was.....Severence pay... Clueless about that as well. "What's that?" She consulted a dictionary, but there was still no comprehension because when I brought up the topic again she pleaded ignorance. Pay was late... on more than one occasion. At one point I refused to work because my pay was so late. Guilt trips were dished out... "Be patient... We don't have any money." That was too hard to believe considering that they had just installed six air conditionars in the school and had just hired another Korean kindergarten teacher. At this point, the school still owes me money. Considering the greedy nature of the owners I highly doubt that I will see the money. Another important one... no medical insurance. No medical insurance! A list of the manager's (and the owners' [her family]) shortcomings could go on for pages. I've only listed the ones people are most concerned with here. The others might seem a bit trivial, but very frustrating nonetheless. Privacy... Non-existant, as well. Although the living conditions were more than adequate the owners of the language school didn't honour the foreigners' wish for SOME privacy. Their eyes were consistantly glued to our windows. They'd consistantly enter the apartment without notice, regardless if we were home or not. On more than one occasion my roommate awoke only to see one of the owners standing in our apartment at eight, nine, ten o'clock on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings). The foreigners' apartment was also viewed as a storage space. The owners took it upon themselves to move a baby grand piano into the apartment... without consulting any of the foreigners. "No problem, right?" is what the owner said. "Yes, it's a big f'n problem." the foreigners said. "OK. It will be out in May." the owner said. It's now August... it's still there. One foreign teacher was coerced to live in the owners' apartment. An early curphew was also enforced. A fine way to experience Korea... Do you want to feel like a hamster? Work at Sajik Little Campus. Finally, I needed to take a few weeks off to attend to family matters in North America. I'm currently in North America and I have just been informed that I no longer have a job at the school. I received notice from friends. The school hasn't notified me yet. So, as most people already working in Korea know, contracts don't mean s*%# to the managers and/or owners. Why did they ditch me? Because the replacement foreign teacher has agreed to teach english to the manager's family... an offer I had rejected on a few occasions. This incident just proves that the manager and owners have no regard, and complete lack of respect for the foreign teachers... and the fellow Korean teachers, as well. So... If one is hunting for a job be sure to stay clear of Sajik Little Campus in Sajik 3-dong Dongnae-gu 132-9, Pusan. Good luck to all and try to enjoy your stint in Korea. E2 English School, Kimchon I would like to say a few words about E2 English School in Kimchon. Many of your readers probably already know about the Sisa Yonga Sa chains, but this is just in case: I wouldn't say that E2 English School is "danger with a capital D," but I would say that any jobhunter can do better. The hours are long and the pay is low. I shared a sardine can with four other people, and at the time I left, some more people were moving in. The director doesn't know any more about foreign language pedagogy than the Rabbit in the Moon. He chooses the worst possible textbooks and doesn't listen when teachers complain. He is also a perennial infant. He slams his office door so often that the teachers hardly even notice. BULL'S ACADEMY, KUNSAN Bull's academy fired me three weeks before the conclusion of my contract. the official reason being that "we don't want to pay your bonus or plane ticket costs". unfortunately, they also owed me a lot of back pay money and locked me out of my apartment, keeping personal items such as clothing, vaccination records, money, legal paperwork, etc. basically everything. have taken them to court, but after six months and three court appearances nothing has happened. just paper shuffling. i don't expect to get any of my personals back. anyway, the new teacher has just left after only two months. anyway, the director and his wife will probably take you for all they can, so my suggestion is to just keep away. if you have questions about this school, schools in Kunsan or the korean legal system, contact me at: http://members.xoom.com/jeff15 F.L.S and Dee Dim Dol: - Su Sung Gu: Taegu These schools had their teachers working (at one point) 48 hours a week - including Saturdays. They had no vacation and no severance. The teachers were continually abused and did not even know who the "real" boss was. The schools changed ownership without telling the teachers and even "sold" the instructors to other schools. They were continually late with pay and owe at least two teachers a total of over 8 million Won (which they will never see). The schools are in the process of losing all their students, and due to embezzlement of funds the owners will also get burned. OJT Kindergarden - Taegu Well, we made it. We got out in one piece. In case you are still keeping your blacklist, please add OJT Kinder Garten in Taegu. The president/owner is Oh Jin Taek. I was not paid and not given the apartment as promised in the contract. It also took over three months to get health insurance. Every possible contract item was re-negotiated with my boss trying to stiff me. I could go on and on, but am trying to forget. Oxford Language School - Chongju Attention all teacher!!!! Unless you are into S&M, avoid Oxford Language School a.k.a Segue Language School in Chongju (Just North of Taejon) like the plague. The "owner" is a little man call Kim Min Ok. He promised me a nice apartment for myself and my Korean wife since I was paying for my airfare to and from Korea. When I got to the apartment, it turned out to be two small filthy rooms behind a soju bar with a shared washroom to be used with the drunk patrons. I told Mr. Kim that this was not acceptable and ask what was he pulling. At that time, Mr. Kim's screws in his head were turning on how to make my life miserable. He told me that he spend 2.4 million won for the place. We called up the owner of the soju bar and he told us that he spent only 200,000 won for the rent. Mr. Kim kept on pushing that he spent 2.4 million to make us feel bad and to give him our pity. Mr. Kim is in the habit of placing teachers in front of pres-schools, middle schools where it seem that the children are in fear of the Korean teachers because they slap them around. My classes in pre-school were basically in front of 25-30 children, hungry at lunch time with only flash cards to keep them happy. I was to play the part of the clown to "entertain" them. The Korean children view Western teachers as fun time and a break from the hard regime of Korean teachers He also kept lying saying that it was legal to teach at schools and apartments outside the hogwon (it is not). Mr. Kim is just a poor business man. He does not have a morning secretary or a telephone answering machine to return calls about people wanting to go to the language school. In the traditional Korean mentallity, he aimed his failures at a teacher to feel better about himself, shaming people tends to be Mr. Kim best profession. At the end, I left because my wife was expecting and we were both starting to chew at each other because of the stress Mr. Kim brought to our lives. Mr. Kim once had a teacher's meeting and told me in front of the other teacher "I could fire you, but I am a Christian." When I quit, he called up my wife's sister to tell her the he had to fire me. he played the father figure were he tried his best with me, and that I was the deviant son. After getting in a converstion with my wife's sister, he promised to give me my alien registration card back to me (it was in process in Taejon and he illegally picked it up), a release form, and the remainder of my money that he owned me (889,000 won). It did not happen. My wife called his home and tried to talk to Mr. Kim's wife thinking that she would have some common sense. Her response was that she was just the owner and that she was not in charge of the school (Does that defy logic). Mr. Kim did this because when he had to go to court because he ripped off another teacher of 10,000,000 won because he was paying the teacher "bit by bit." He said that he was just a worker and that he did not own the language school. In my time there (2 months) not did not once see Mrs. Kim come in. Due to the stress I believe in part, my wife had a one month premature baby. My wife and my baby are ok now, but now that I could not work legally in Korea I found it hard to work so I was forced to work illegally on a tourist visa. I enjoyed Korea. The students are friendly and kind and my wife is Korean. It is just a shame that maggots like Mr. Kim exist to spoil it. I finish my first contact in Inchon in 1995, so I am not some whining person. I am Canadian, and we are taught in life that a deal is a deal and that a contract is a promise. So often, this is not so in Korea. I am now back in Canada and I feel that I will not go back to Korea to teach again because of this scumball class one. I would also like to thank that the Taejon Immigartion Department for their "help". My wife telephoned them and ask told them about our situation with Mr. Kim and his abuse of power. The immigration guy bluntly said that the Korean owner is always right and that Western teacher deserve what comes to them. He also told my wife that it was my fault that I signed the contract and for coming to Korea!!!! If you need any more information about him or if you want me to talk to a friend that is thinking about teaching in Korea, give me a ring at zuttymandoo@hotmail.com Later Michael Kelly, BA. Sung Il Academy - Suwon, Korea, I worked in a language institute (hogwan) in Suwon, Korea, called Sung Il Hogwan. The owner is one of the worst people I have ever met. Besides being a chauvanistic Korean male, he is completely unstable. His violence was ever-present. He threw a coffee cup at one teacher, which broke on the wall and shards of ceramic hit the teacher in the face. The director would hit children, who were students, with a stick (is this normal Korean behavior?). Every teacher I knew for the year I was in Korea, broke the contract and left, and the information I have is that other teachers since have left, too. I was transferred to another hogwan where things were much better, except that the hogwan director's brother was a thief and stole some money from me. I protested, but I was a foreigner and I knew better. The big problem is that this man can travel to the US and recruit people from universities and colleges. They go there and then run away. I wrote to the United States Consolate a list of complaints about this guy, recommending that they revoke his travel visa. Maybe now he is recruiting in Canada. There are a lot of Canadian teachers in Suwon and Korea. The Director got in a fight with one teacher and later in the evening three thugs and the dirctor showed up at the teacher's home and they beat up the teacher. The teacher left the next day, of course. I think this sums up most of the overall negative experiences I and many other techers have about Korea. I have read some people's articles in TESOL papers, who were in Suwon also. I believe they wrote about positive experiences because they were fairly unconscious and naive. Of course, some people probably have not had the horror experience I had. But many have had that and worse. Robert Toomey bobrec@hyper.netchina.co.cn Chonan College - Chonan University I urge you to add Chonan College of Foreign Studies/Chonan Christian University/Chonan University to your Korea greylist/blacklist. I worked there last year. The thing that shocked me the most was that they tried to make me change religion and attend the church of their choice. They unilaterally cut my pay in half, and then, when I left, stiffed me for two months of the contract. And I had to fight to get my severance pay. Trouble was, I wouldn't go along with a few illegalities, like forging papers claiming we were holding classes we weren't, and arbitrarily raising student grades to circumvent government requirements. At one point I was getting threatening phone calls, and administrators banging on my door in the night. Very ugly bunch. They hired six or seven new teachers when I left. None are now renewing their contracts. So I guess they haven't changed. Best get the word out, and nobody else need get burned. Kookmin University - Seoul. In February 1997 Kookmin University hired 8 new teachers for the Foreign Language Department. Three of the previous 4 teachers decided not to resign their contracts. July 1997 one unhappy teacher decided to quit. Another teacher was hired. November 1997,7 teachers have been asked to renew their contracts for February of next year. Six teachers have, or in all probability will, refuse to sign again. The person who signed in July 1997 is seriously considering cutting her contract. Kookmin University Foreign Language Department is not a happy place to work at. Kookmin University Foreign Language Department is currently hiring new teachers.(11/28/97) John & Michael's Foreign Language Institute - 3S Corporation/Han & Pyong Foreign Language School The subject school needs to be put on the watch list: 1. Ph: (02) 525-5551, Seocho Station, Seoul 2. English speaking point of contact: Douglas Kim 3. Owner: Mr. Choi 4. The school has gone through teachers like water ever since I began there February 11, 1996. 5. They're in severe financial hot water in the moment. 6. I was called by Douglas Kim and told November 24, 1997 that the school is closing. 7. November 25, 1997 I met Douglas Kim and he indicated that one teacher will continue to teach there through the expiration offer contract in May 1998. He also indicated that he's seeking other employment. Why he's dragging around people to introduce them in situations where they may very well not be paid is beyond me. 8. Another teacher is leaving next week. His contract doesn't expire until February 1998. 9. My contract doesn't expire until l March 1998. 10. This school is currently trying to recruit teachers to broker out. They've asked a friend, a broker with whom I've worked, to field their calls for this purpose using his (02) 292-5100 phone number. Apparently they're doing this to conceal who the actual employer is and this is a desperate attempt to get the cash together to reopen. 11. Between March 1997 and November 1997 this school has laid off the office manager, me, effective October 1, the office support staff, and the marketing department. Further, they've rented out the 4th floor and remodeled the 3rd floor to make it smaller. 12. In February 1997 I was told they'd rented out their 3rd floor school in Shinsol-dong to another party but I later learned that another teacher on staff was teaching my classes for less per hour. 13. When I was laid off another person was hired to teach the classes I'd been teaching for less per hour; I was told that the classes were being canceled. The people at this school have as a rule always been kind to me and have tried to consider my personal financial situation with which they are intimately aware. However, they have resorted to acts of desperation during 1997 and this has clouded the judgment of Mr. Choi who on more occasion has flown off the handle and threatened to have me deported, reported to immigration, and what have you. Do yourselves a favour and don't invite stress into your life. There are other working situations in many locations throughout Korea. Easy Foreign Language Institute - Chonan City. It is owned by BL (British Language) International. The director is Kim Mun Su. Korea can be a great place to visit. It's a beautiful country. The food and the people are fabulous. Korea might be a good place to teach English if you do a lot of research, including reading all "Grey Lists!" beforehand. We (my wife and I) did our research. We thought we had an okay job at an okay institute in Ch'onan City. We didn't. The first 3 months were okay, the next 3 months were trying and the final 2 months were terrible. It is a poorly organized school with a maniacal director prone to violent mood swings. We left after many months of increasingly unreasonable behaviour on his part. The catalyst for our departure was an "agreement" he was trying to force us to sign. (If any one is interested in obtaining a copy of this "agreement" we would be happy to oblige; we'll send it by snailmail; contact us through the "Grey List.") The "agreement" blamed us for all his business woes. Kim Mun Su is an incompetent businessman. He was having problems before we arrived. He does not advertise. He loses students because of his personality problems. He has also lost 5 teachers including us in the last year. Besides having violent mood swings he is also mean-spirited and greedy. He reneged on verbal and written agreements which we made in good faith. The final straw was his violence towards one of our students. A number of students were upset because he reneged on contracts he made with them. They confronted him (something almost unheard of in Korea, but they did it with respect using all the proper higher forms of speech). He yelled at them and insulted them using the lowest form of speech until one student could no longer bear his rudeness and got up to leave. At this point the director tried to hit the student and only failed to do so because another student stopped him. Once we heard this we felt it would only be a matter of time before he tried to use physical violence to subdue us as well, so we left. We didn't want to leave. We liked our students and had built a strong network of friends (Korean and foreign) in and around Ch*onan. We tried hard to complete our contract: we had only 4 months remaining, but Mr. Kim made it impossible for us to teach. He is interested in maintaining the school only for his own financial gain. His employees' and the students' interests are annoyances to which he pays lip service hoping no one will notice his lies and greediness. However, the students did notice and so did we. In the final 3 months that we were at Easy, most of our long-term students confided in us that they were not renewing their contracts. They also told us about the other teachers who were there before us and how they left after only 2 or 3 months of working at Easy. We managed to stay 8 months because there were two of us and together we were able to resist the madness of the situation. We pity the poor solitary soul who has replaced us. Kim Mun Su and Easy Foreign Language Institute should be avoided if you want to have a positive experience in Korea. E-zone, is a recruitment agency located in Chang-dong, Seoul. I worked there for 3 weeks as a recruiter until I finally realized what sort of person I was working for. The manager of E-zone is a Mr Peter Rhee, who has spent some time in America. At first he comes over as a reasonably nice guy however he is really out to hurt foreigners. He does not like them and he sees any business with them as an exercise in exploitation. I am currently taking him to court as he refuses to pay me for work that I have done and there are many people in the same boat as I under his recruitment. I am not so much worried about the money (about $900 US) that is owing but it is people like this that create a bad image of Korea abroad. I think your blacklist is a good idea to warn potential employees. Jel World Language Institute - Ulsan. The school has been opened only two years, and has had approximately twelve teachers. Of those, only three have finished their one year contracts. I worked with two of the teachers that finished their contracts and they did not leave happy, but only stayed out of the need to pay off bills. I could write pages off all the ways the director and his wife have scammed money from the foreign teachers, but I will only tell my personal story here. The director of Jel World brought me to Korea to contract me out to another school. After working their for five months, I discovered that the school he was contracting me out to was not legal for foreign teachers to work at as it was a preschool. I refused to work at the illegal school and demanded that he move me to Jel World where my visa said that I worked. After three days of no decision from him, I finally got a call from my recruiter who said that James (the director) had threatened that he would go to immigration about me as he had "connections" in Ulsan immigration. He was threatening me after he was the one who brought me all the way to Korea to work illegally! I contacted the Canadian Embassy who assured me I would be okay and offered to call me director and set him straight on who would be in trouble here. My director soon telephoned me for a meeting at which time he offered me a job at his school although I would have to take a pay cut and sign on for another year meaning I would not get the severance that would have been coming to me in November. I had no choice but to accept or leave Korea. Now I am stuck here until next May. To top this all off, my director told me I would not be paid for the time I had worked that month at the illegal school unless I went to teach there one more day. I said 'forget it' since I should have been paid this money no questions asked. I never got the money and my director had the nerve to say to me that he was 'very angry' with me. On top of this he has been ripping me off on tax every month, charging me 7% and only paying 4% to the tax office. The difference has been going into his pocket. He has done this to every teacher that ever came to JEL. He wrote a written promise to the last teacher to leave, that he would pay her back the tax when her contract finished, but reneged on the deal before she left knowing that she had only a short time to catch her flight and, therefore, couldn't go to the labour office. He also chose to rip her off on her overtime on the last pay too, but he does this often so we weren't surprised. We now have only three teachers at our school with one going to do the midnight run next week as she is fed up with our director. The two of us left wish we could do the same, but will be left, instead, with about 200 students to teach. Sae Kye Foreign Language Institution- Tongnae-Ku, Pusan, Korea. The first two months I lived in a cheap hotel. Now I am living in a poorly constructed apartment. I suffered a mild concussion due to faulty installation of ceiling lights. The bathroom facilities are public bathrooms. There is no cooking appliance. There is no hot water for showers or washing dishes. The plumbing is such that the food from other floors drains into our restroom. This clogs all the drains and floods the bathroom. Heating is going to be a major problem in the winter. It is a wind tunnel for mosquitoes, rain, cold and pollution. Chicago Language Academy in Seoul and Chinju. After working for 3 months we finally got a kitchen table! (Before that we were to buy our own) I gave my notice after getting tired of no support, bad text books, the office was in Seoul no-one spoke English, and passed the buck-I was paid less than half my salary because of various deductions. I was already in Korea and they didn't pay for me to come out here. You'll find bad things about them in other blacklists, but like I said-AVOID THESE PEOPLE LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!!!! Time Foreign Language Institute It's a joke. The people don't have a clue about how to run a business let alone a school. I lived in a classroom! I had no shower or kitchen. The school promised medical insurance and didn't deliver.Pohnag is a steel town so don't let any fast talking placement agencies tell you that it is a beautiful paradise. The agency that sent me here said it was the wind surfing capital of Korea.......NOT. Pohang is a steel town so don't let any fast talking placement agencies tell you that it is a beautiful paradise. It's a nightmare!! KUK JAE FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTITUTE in Suwon INTERNATIONAL KOREA (formerly Universal Korea), Note: This is school is now under new management - Update soon Mr. Kwon has a long record of firing good teachers, refusing severance pay, and trying to cheat every penny possible out of his employees. He has told new teachers upon arrival that there was a "mistake" in their contracts so their pay would be less than what they had signed to. He has ratted on other hagwons that use illegal teachers, while doing the same thing himself. He has video cameras set up not only in all of the classrooms, but also in the hallways, waiting rooms, and teachers' lounge. Kwon Young Ho is one of the greediest, most mean-spirited people I have ever met. Please everyone, avoid his businesses at all costs! English Training Center, Kangnam-ku, Yucksam-dong, Seoul. Main office is very near the Kangnam subway station, off Teheranno.
I could rant and rave, but suffice it to say that ETC is best avoided unless your idea of great work is not being paid, having your contract vacation time slashed or unpaid, not being paid for working holidays, being lied to, being threatened, being coerced, and generally being mistreated as an employee. 9 contract teachers got hammered when new ownership tookover what was a pretty reasonable place to work. Perhaps the most odious thing about it is the American "Academic Director", who is essentially a mouthpiece for the owner,and gets paid really well to serve that function. He knowingly sabotaged efforts to confront the owner over pay issues etc... the whole time maintaining that he was availing himself of the downtrodden teachers. This is one of those schools that serves as an example of what can go wrong when teaching in Korea. |